Turkish troops claimed to have killed 77 Kurdish rebels on Wednesday in the most intensive fighting since they began attacks in northern Iraq a week ago.

The army said five soldiers were killed in the clashes, part of an attempt to destroy Kurdish Worker Party bases. Fighter jets also continued to hit rebel targets in the mountainous border region.

The incursion is the first time Turkish forces have launched attacks in northern Iraq for ten years, although the conflict between the two sides has been raging since 1984.

The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by the US and EU, is fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in south-eastern Turkey. The army launched the latest operation to stop the PKK attacking Turkish positions from Iraq.

Since the incursion began, they claim to have killed 230 rebels and hit hundreds of targets, including missile launchers and training camps.

The rebels say they have lost just a few fighters and killed 80 troops. Turkey, which suspects Iraq’s regional Kurdish government of supporting the PKK, said the operation would end only once it achieved its military goals.

The US urged the country to end the attacks within two weeks and be ‘mindful of Iraqi sovereignty’.